Most recently, he showcased his burger skills at his temporary Mission restaurant, Kronnerburger, located within Bruno's. Yet, despite national acclaim, Kronnerburger ended its yearlong run in November; since then, he has been trying to open his own Oakland spot.

He is finally getting close.

And there shall be burgers.

Though his original space fell through, Kronner is now finalizing a deal to take over the former J's Mexican American Food (4063 Piedmont Ave.). He just bought a full liquor license, and it's moving forward.

So what does Mr. Kronner have planned?

That part is simple, he says. "It will definitely be Kronnerburger."

But he'll go beyond the Bruno's pop-up, which he intentionally limited, in large part because of the simple fact that it was basically Kronner and a pal doing all the cooking.

"Now we're building it out in the way we want," he says, highlighting a wood-fired grill and a meat-aging room.

The design of the funky 36-seat space will be done by Oakland's Wylie Price, who has worked on notable places like Ramen Shop, Fatted Calf and State.

Don't expect trendy design elements like Edison bulbs or reclaimed wood. The seat count will be divided evenly between booths and tables, and there will be a small bar and another 20 alfresco seats.

Burgers will be the heart of the menu, but when the restaurant opens - Kronner hopes by later this year - he plans to offer a full slate of offerings.

Back to roots: The Presidio's historic Officers' Club (50 Moraga Ave.) - one of the two remaining San Francisco buildings from the Spanish colonial era - has been in the midst of a significant remodel. When it reopens in September as an educational center and event space, it will also be home to a new Mexican restaurant from Traci Des Jardins and Bon Appetit Management Co.

Named Arguello, the 118-seat restaurant and bar will hark back to Des Jardins' Mexican heritage as well as the Presidio's. Whereas Des Jardins' other Mexican spots - Mijita, in AT&T Park and the Ferry Building - are quick service and fairly traditional, Arguello will be a full-service restaurant, with California influences and a nice little rear patio.

It's a busy time for food in the Presidio. The same crew that will open Arguello has just opened a Spanish-influenced restaurant named The Commissary, just a few minutes away on Montgomery Street.

For more on the Officers' Club, go to the Inside Scoop blog, bit.ly/1qVT6vy.

A Plum gig: Kronner isn't the only talented young chef crossing the good ol' Willie Brown Bridge lately.

As of Tuesday, former Outerlands chef Brett Cooperis cooking at Ume in Uptown Oakland.

If you don't recognize Ume, that's because it's the new iteration of Plum (2214 Broadway), Daniel Patterson's 3 1/2-year-old restaurant.

Plum had its finale on Saturday night. Now it's a more casual and affordable Japanese-influenced restaurant, with Cooper at the helm - at least for a while.

He'll spend several weeks getting Ume up to speed, and then hand it off to the rest of the kitchen crew.

The ultimate goal of the Cooper-Patterson partnership is a forthcoming San Francisco neighborhood restaurant where Cooper could have full control, but would be supported by the Daniel Patterson Group. They're currently working on finalizing a location.

For those wondering about Plum chef Kim Alter, she's staying with the Daniel Patterson Group - and also hopes to open a San Francisco restaurant.

Geary action: Cooper has still more up his sleeve. He'll be consulting at an unrelated, still-unnamed restaurant taking shape at 846 Geary.

The 25-seat restaurant is the brainchild of owner Kris Esqueda, who worked with Cooper at Saison and Coi.

Cooper will help get things off the ground by designing the menu and opening the place in mid- to late summer. He'll collaborate on the menu of small plates and family-style items with Bar Agricole vet Sara Hauman.

Village mentality: Here's to West Portal standby Village Grill (160 West Portal Ave.), which is closing this month after 25 years of serving the neighborhood with cash-only Irish breakfasts and delightful turkey melts.

Sharpening skills: Chefs, take note: Josh Donaldof Mission District knife shop Bernal Cutlery (593 Guerrero St.) is back from a trip to Japan. And he'll be getting a cache of sought-after Japanese knives.

Donald is still glowing from spending time with craftsmen in Sakai and Sanjo. He tried to absorb the generations of knife knowledge that are embedded in the culture, learn about the fine points of whetstone sharpening, forge relationships. He also saw firsthand how the prized knives and razors are made.

But it wasn't all serious. He got quite the laugh when he handed his business card to a saleswoman in a Kyoto restaurant supply shop.